Creative Writing and Literature Course Descriptions  

 

Creative Writing Courses

ENGLISH 11 — INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING 

3.00 units

Introduction to elements and craft of various genres of creative writing, including narrative, verse, and dialogue, using materials drawn from individual’s own work and selected texts from established and peer writers. Practice in writing in various genres. Introduction to workshop method.  

 

ENGLISH 12A — CRAFT OF WRITING FICTION

3.00 units

Practice in writing fiction. Developing internal and external sources for stories and novels; biographical sources, characterization, plot, points-of-view, narrative techniques; analysis and criticism of published writing and individual’s own work.

ENGLISH 12B — CRAFT OF WRITING FICTION: INTERMEDIATE

3.00 units

Practice in writing fiction at an intermediate level. Builds on the skills developed in English 12A by requiring the use of vivid description, specific detail, dynamic and rounded character development, consistent point of view, and logical plotting that avoids cliche. Focus on developing themes that create intellectual or emotional resonance. Expectation of sentence structure, grammar, and format accuracy. Develop internal and external sources for stories and novels; analysis and criticism of published short fiction and a book-length work; analysis and criticism of peer work and individual’s own work. Requires submission for publication at the end of the semester.

ENGLISH 12C — CRAFT OF WRITING FICTION: ADVANCED

3.00 units

Practice in writing fiction at an advanced level. Builds on the intermediate skills developed in English 12B by requiring a mastery of description, detail, character development, consistent point of view, and logical plotting that avoids cliche. Focus on achieving themes that create intellectual or emotional resonance. Expectation of sentence structure, grammar, and format accuracy. Develop internal and external sources for stories and novels; analysis and criticism of published short fiction and a presentation about the craft in a book-length work; analysis and criticism of peer work and individual’s own work. Requires submission for publication at the end of the semester; analysis and criticism of peer work and individual’s own work.  

 

ENGLISH 13A — THE CRAFT OF WRITING POETRY: BEGINNING

3.00 units

Practice in writing poetry, using materials drawn from published poetry and individual’s own work for analysis and criticism, with a focus on techniques of revision.

ENGLISH 13B — THE CRAFT OF WRITING POETRY: INTERMEDIATE

3.00 units

Continued practice in writing poetry, using materials drawn from published poetry and individual’s own work for analysis and criticism, with a focus on techniques of revision and submission for publication.  

 

ENGLISH 19A — JOURNAL OF ARTS, LITERATURE, AND ACADEMIC WRITING A

3.00 units

Creation of a literary-style student magazine. Practical training in the managing, editing, formatting, and printing of a literary magazine. Enrollment constitutes the staff of the magazine. Cross listed with MSCM 19A. A student who has successfully completed MSCM 19A cannot enroll in ENG 19A.

ENGLISH 19B — JOURNAL OF ARTS, LITERATURE, AND ACADEMIC WRITING B

3.00 units

Creation of a literary-style student magazine. Practical intermediate-level training in the managing, editing, formatting, and printing of a literary supplement and/or magazine with a focus on the production process, including copy editing, design, layout, proofreading, working with the printer, and digital and print distribution. Enrollment constitutes the staff of the magazine. A student who has completed MSCM 19B cannot enroll in ENG 19B.

 

Literature Courses

ENGLISH 4 — CRITICAL THINKING AND WRITING ABOUT LITERATURE

3.00 units

Develops critical thinking, reading, and writing skills as they apply to the analysis of fiction, poetry and drama; literary criticism; and related non-fiction from diverse cultural sources and perspectives. Emphasis on the techniques and principles of effective written argument as they apply to literature. Some research required. Prerequisite: English 1A with a grade of “C” or higher.   

 

ENGLISH 20 — STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE

3.00 units

Readings of the sonnets and representative comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances of William Shakespeare, with attention to the early, middle and late phases of his art and to the Age of Elizabeth.  

 

ENGLISH 32 — U.S. WOMEN'S LITERATURE

3.00 units

Chronicles the expression of U.S. women authors through readings in a variety of genres such as fiction, poetry, drama, and the essay. Study of the works of at least three of the following groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Native Americans, with a particular focus on the 20th century.  

 

ENGLISH 35 — MODERN AMERICAN LITERATURE

3.00 units

U.S. literature from the second half of the 19th century to the present, including poetry, drama, prose fiction, and essays. Emphasizes literary analysis and the exploration each work in relation to its social, cultural and historical contexts.  

 

ENGLISH 41 — MODERN WORLD LITERATURE

3.00 units

This course is a comparative study of selected works, in translation and in English, of literature from various regions and cultures around the world, including Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, the Americas, and other areas, from the mid- or late-seventeenth century to the present. Emphasis will be on literary analysis as well as providing historical, cultural, and comparative perspectives on the literature.  

 

ENGLISH 42 — LITERATURE OF THE AFRICAN DIASPORA IN AMERICA

3.00 units

Form, development, and cultural and historic insights of literature of the African diaspora in America and the United States, including some or all of the following: short fiction and novels, oral history and memoir, poetry, plays, songs, popular culture, and nonfiction; exploration of particular themes or periods as reflected in the literature of people of the African diaspora created in America.  

 

ENG 44 — LITERATURE OF THE AMERICAN WEST

3.00 units

Critical analysis of the cultural and historical experiences of diverse people of the American West as expressed in their literatures, including the novel, short story, poetry, autobiography, memoirs, as-told-to-narratives, and secondary works. Exploration of interrelationships among peoples and cultures of the West, considering place and community, gender, and ethnicity as given voice in literature. Study of the works of at least three of the following groups: African Americans, Asian Americans, European Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans. Emphasis upon techniques of critical review of and response to literary works, including gaining understanding of one’s identity as a Westerner and an American.  

 

ENGLISH 45 — STUDIES IN FICTION

3.00 units

Form, development, and cultural insights of the novel and short story; exploration of particular themes or periods as reflected in works of fiction.